Kevin Pashby
BBC WM

Around 110 fridges which were illegally dumped on an estate in Birmingham are due to be cleared up later today.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

They will be taken away from Kings Norton so they can be forensically examined. 

Birmingham City Council says the items have all been stripped of valuable metal and then flytipped. 

The authority said the illegal dumping was "totally unacceptable" and said staff were trying to identify the perpetrators.

Worcester News

A former Mayor of Worcester has issued an impassioned plea for the Northern Relief Link Road to happen, external - saying congestion will "never" be resolved without it.  

Trevor Owens
Sports Editor, BBC Hereford & Worcester

Worcester Warriors' director of rugby, Gary Gold, says it's a steep learning curve but he feels things are heading in the right direction.

Warriors have taken five points from their last two Aviva Premiership matches and Gold says they can expect a battle in the forwards at Northampton Saints on Saturday.

Image source, Worcester Warriors

The 49-year-old was appointed last month until the end of the season, with Carl Hogg retaining his position as head coach.  

BBC Hereford and Worcester

The fire service in Herefordshire and Worcestershire needs to recruit more on-call crews, otherwise it won't cope in the future, according to the Fire Brigades Union.

The union says about 75% of the firefighters covering this area are made up of retained firefighters and the budget for the coming financial year is staying at £33m. 

Image source, Hereford & Worcestershire Fire & Rescue Service

Hereford & Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service says there are "no plans to change the operational response model in respect to the number of full-time and on-call fire appliances" but it is reviewing crewing systems and "exploring options for future resilience".

Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter

A cloudy day across the West Midlands, with outbreaks of rain for many, though some drier interludes are likely too. 

Otherwise, breezy at first, especially in the south, though the winds will temporarily ease during the afternoon - highs of 11C (52F).

Kevin Pashby
BBC WM

Residents living in new properties in part of Birmingham have told us their dream homes have been wrecked by the stench of sewage, damp and mould.

Housing firm Bovis Homes has set aside £7m to compensate customers who were sold unfinished builds - or properties with electrical and plumbing faults.

More than 1,500 people have joined the Bovis Homes Victim group on Facebook. 

The house builders have properties for sale across the West Midlands including Great Barr, Redditch and Lichfield.

Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

I'll be bringing you live updates for Herefordshire and Worcestershire today, between now and 18:00

I'll have the latest news, sport, travel and weather as it happens. 

If you'd like to get in touch, you can email, tweet us on @bbchw, external or message via Facebook, external.

We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.

The BBC has been analysing plans being put forward by NHS bosses to cut hospital services in two-thirds of England to save money.

Locally, there will be a funding gap of £336m by 2020-21 in Herefordshire and Worcestershire if nothing is done, the research shows.

There is an aim to cut the amount of planned treatment for non-life threatening conditions by 20% in real terms, reduce spending on diagnostic services by 11%  and close 200 community beds.

Image source, Other

However, even if that goes ahead, there is still predicted to be a significant gap and it is not clear how it will be closed. 

A review by the King's Fund think tank of the plans for England as a whole, warned community services were already "feeling the strain" and further reductions in the number of hospital beds could de-stabilise services that were already "stretched to their limits" 

The sister of Sgt David Evans, the police dog handler who has been told he can't take his dog with him when he retires says he is "devastated".

West Mercia Police announced its decision earlier today, after a meeting between Sgt Evans and the Chief Constable of West Mercia Police.

Image source, Jennie Evans

Lisa Evans said her brother had "always formed a bond with his dogs" and suggested it would have been kinder not to have given him a young dog, knowing his retirement was imminent.

She said she wanted "further discussions and understanding" from the force.

Hereford Times

A charity has pulled out of providing services, external at a Hereford day centre for people with learning disabilities.

Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather

Cloudy sky and strong winds will mean a mild night with some rain and drizzle - lows of 10C (50F).

You can get a detailed forecast here, including warnings of strong winds moving in on Thursday.

Up to £300,000 is to be spent on improving the way traffic information is shared and used by highways' staff.

Worcestershire County Council is among 19 authorities that have been awarded funding for their ideas to improve journeys through digital innovation.

Image source, Other

The money is for an information sharing system so incidents can be dealt with quickly by staff and vehicles, the Department for Transport says.

Other projects that will share a total of £4m include apps that notify motorists of congestion and free parking spaces, and real time journey information for visually impaired passengers.

The latest fly-tipping incident saw 110 fridges dumped in a street.

West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion has announced the launch of two schemes aimed at protecting young people in the region. 

Organisations can bid for a share of a £240,000 pot to help fund relevant projects. 

One scheme focuses on deterring 13 to 16 year olds from turning to crime, while the other aims to make young people safer drivers.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Bromsgrove Sporting FC's manager says it'll be a tough two matches against Cleethorpes Town in the semi-finals of the FA Vase. 

The team beat Buckland Athletic 2-0 on Sunday securing them a place.

Paul Smith told BBC Hereford and Worcester that they were hoping for an easier opponent.

The tie will be played over two legs on the 11 and 18 March. 

Herefordshire and Worcestershire are expected to avoid the worst of Storm Doris, although nearby areas have been put on amber alert, external.

The Met Office says heavy rain is also likely on Thursday, with some snow possible over high ground and gusts of 70 to 80mph for a short time.

Redditch Advertiser

A woman had a "lucky" escape last night after her car flipped onto its roof in Redditch., external

Here's rather soggy Lyonshall this morning, thanks to BBC Weather Watcher Johnqa.

If you would like to get in touch you can email, tweet us on @bbchw, external or message via Facebook, external.   

Image source, Johnqa

Communities Secretary and Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid remains at the centre of an on-going row over a national rise in business rates.

The government is dismissing claims today that cabinet ministers underestimated a 5-7% rise revealed in a letter by Mr Javid and Treasury Chief Secretary David Gauke and sent to Tory MPs.

Image source, Getty Images

In the private email, the ministers said there had been "a relentless campaign of distortions and half-truths" about a business rate revaluation which will leave more than a quarter of companies facing higher bills. 

They said most firms would not see any rise in their bills and included a list revealing many of the areas facing rate rises are in Tory heartlands.